Ox strengths in tradition
- Patient and persistent
- Dependable and honest
- Methodical and thorough
- Calm under pressure
2009 Chinese zodiac: Year of the Earth Ox
The 2009 Chinese year ran from Monday 26 January 2009 to Saturday 13 February 2010.
Its sign is the Yin Earth Ox: 己丑 (Jǐ-chǒu) in the 60-year cycle.
Born 1–25 January 2009? Then you belong to the previous Chinese year: the Earth Rat of 2008.
Chinese New Year or Lichun?
Most calendars change the animal at Chinese New Year. Four Pillars (BaZi) astrology starts the year at Lichun, the Start of Spring, instead. For births around the turn of the year the two counts differ:
- 26 January – 3 February 2009: Earth Ox by Chinese New Year, Earth Rat by Lichun.
- 4 February 2009 (Lichun day): by Lichun, Earth Rat before 00:50 China time and Earth Ox from then on; by Chinese New Year, Earth Ox.
- 4 February 2010 (Lichun day): by Lichun, Earth Ox before 06:47 China time and Metal Tiger from then on; by Chinese New Year, Earth Ox.
- 5–13 February 2010: Earth Ox by Chinese New Year, Metal Tiger by Lichun.
Dates and times in China time. The Chinese zodiac calculator converts them for your birthplace and shows both counts.
The Earth Ox in Chinese astrology
Earth is the Ox's own fixed element, so an Earth Ox is said to be the most patient, practical and dependable of all.
The Ox is the second Chinese zodiac animal, associated in tradition with patience, diligence and the quiet strength to see long tasks through. Earth is the element of stability and balance, linked in Chinese tradition with the turning points between the seasons.
Ox challenges in tradition
- Slow to accept change
- Stubborn once decided
- Keeps feelings to itself
- Can take on too much work
Traditions, not predictions. The Ox in love and at work · The five elements
Other Ox years
The Earth Ox every 60 years
Questions and answers
What Chinese zodiac is 2009?
2009 is the Year of the Earth Ox (yin Earth, 己丑 Jǐ-chǒu), from 26 January 2009 to 13 February 2010. Anyone born 1–25 January 2009 belongs to the previous Chinese year, the Earth Rat.
What element is 2009 in the Chinese zodiac?
Earth, in its yin form: the year’s Heavenly Stem is 己 (Jǐ). Earth years are years ending in 8 or 9 – counted by the Chinese year, which begins in late January or February.
I was born in January 2009 — which animal am I?
If you were born before 26 January 2009, the date of Chinese New Year, your sign is the Earth Rat of the 2008 Chinese year; from 26 January 2009 on, it is the Earth Ox. Four Pillars (BaZi) astrology counts from Lichun instead (4 February 2009, 00:50 China time).
When was Chinese New Year 2009?
It was on Monday 26 January 2009 (China time). The next one, on Sunday 14 February 2010, began the Year of the Metal Tiger.